Society

Three Months After Sinkhole Swallowed Truck, Search for Driver Set to Restart

Saitama, Apr 25 (News On Japan) - Nearly three months after a road collapse in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture, authorities are preparing to resume the search for the missing truck driver as early as next week.

The accident occurred in January this year when a section of road in Yashio gave way, causing a truck to fall into the sinkhole. The 74-year-old male driver is believed to have been trapped in the driver’s seat, which remains inside the sewer pipe.

According to the prefectural government, the drainage work to divert the sewage that had obstructed the search was completed on April 24th. Based on interviews with those involved, preparations are now underway to restart the search as early as next week.

Officials from the prefecture and local fire department plan to enter the sewer pipe through a hole drilled directly above the vehicle. Using heavy machinery, they aim to remove the entire section of the vehicle containing the driver’s seat to proceed with the search.

Source: TBS

Floods, Landslides Batter Ishikawa and Toyama

Residents in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures began clearing mud and debris on August 28 as authorities worked to restore access to communities cut off by landslides and flooding following torrential rain that prompted temporary Level 5 heavy rain emergency warnings a day earlier.

Kyushu Shinkansen to Fully Reopen on September 18

JR Kyushu plans to restore full service on the Kyushu Shinkansen from the first train on September 18, nearly two months after the Kumamoto earthquake caused extensive damage to tracks and stations and forced the suspension of services on part of the line.

Nine-Minute Drone Video Shows Scale of Aeon Mall Damage

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Conditions Ease as Typhoon No. 18 Passes Okinawa

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

Mystery Deepens with 39 Kg Bread Trail Across Tottori

A series of mysterious illegal dumping incidents involving about 39 kilograms of sliced bread has been reported around Mount Daisen and other parts of Tottori Prefecture in August, with officials investigating whether the food may have been deliberately placed to attract wild animals.

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